The Dance of Reality is a 2013 Chilean French Semi-autobiographical musical fantasy film written, directed, and produced by Alejandro Jodorowsky starring Brontis Jodorowsky, Pamela Flores, and Jeremias Herskovits. The film centres around Alejandro’s childhood with his strict communist father and his loving but weak mother tires to pave his own way in society that doesn’t like their Jewish origins. The Dance of Reality is about the suffering of life, the in viability of death and finding peace and happiness.
The film starts with coins falling on the table as Jodorowsky states that money is like blood giving life. Money is also demonstrated to be like Christ where it blesses you if you share it, money is also liked like Buddha were if you don’t work you don’t have it. It is sated that money enlightens those who use it to open like a flower in the world and annihilates those who glorify it confounding the riches of the soul. A clown is then shown using money showing it to be a joke. The film sates that were is no difference between money and contentious as it sows the stock exchange fall as blood splatters on it as he says there is no difference between contentious and death. The film then transitions to people dressed in black with umbrellas as they wander through the dessert showing the inevitability of death, as the film makes the link that there is no deference between death and wealth. This colourful circus is found in a rocky mountain side changing the past from his grey life. His dad is a strong man of principle and young Jodorowsky is a shy child who has long blonde hair like a girl. He is an outsider as his dad talks to the performers that he was one but gave up on that life for a mor traditional one as he can still climb ropes as he is still a tough guy that can beat them, and he hates the fact that Jodorowsky can feel scared. Jodorowsky by comparison is a shy sensitive soul, the family runs a Ukraine soviet. Communist shop with is dad walking past as the devil tempts him. Jodorowsky’s mother represents his sensitive side and is a kind of loving mother as his mother wanted to be an opera singer, but her family forced her to work in the family store and therefore she sings all her dialogue, and due to her not having a good relationship with her dad she thinks her son is her father. Jodorowsky is mad at the world and his father, as he meets a character that looks like an old drunk king stopping him. Saying a single stone can kill call fish in the sea, showing how reckless actions can cause a great ripple effect. This is shown with his reckless actions having consequences as the queen of cups says that a single stone can kill all the fish. His reckless actions are shown to have consequences as a giant wave is shown to have consequences as a giant wave is shown to kill a bunch of fish. He is then scolded for being murderer by touring the sea which he doesn’t accept seagulls as he brings forth the scavengers of the dead that chase after him. The old real life Jodorowsky confronts his younger self saying he should suffer with the fish or celebrate with the seagulls as there is a balance to all things including suffering. People then scavenge the dead fish collecting them, as all things are connected as suffering and pleasure are the same as people celebrate the catch. The film is set in the backdrop of communism as his dad is a communist and is annoyed at the more capitalist elements of the country seeping in and as a result puts a radio a toilet that is broadcasting criticism the toilet and urinates on it.
Alejandro befriends a disabled deformed veterans by scratching their backs as he has empathy, but his dad does not as he gets the solider to leave and hits Alejandro whilst his mother confronts him whilst his dad is angry thinking, he is a homosexual. His mother was a humiliated woman as shown in the film with is father abusing her. His mum says in Russia her mum fell in love with her dad who was a talented Russian dancer, and they were both on the run from Jew hating Cossacks. They then immigrated to Argentina where they lived of the land and her dad died standing on barriers field with flammable fluid causing them to give way, as Alejandro is her dad reincarnated looks the same as she has his dads comb the only left. His dad is then angered by this traditional old-fashioned communist making her face pure logically realty abusive threatening her with violence. A dwarf is shown whipping a dollar sign outside of the shop as his ideology is communism over capitalism, as his dad is insulted by the disabled people named by dynamite. His hair is removed to show it to be a wig as his dad wants to destroy his sons dreams and face the cold harsh reality of the world, his dad is obsessed with him being a man and not crying or showing emotions. His mum is destroyed by this rejecting her son as he has symbolically murdered her father, his dad wants him to be a man in his image to have control over his emotions tickles him and says he must not laugh. His dad says he must withstand pain and be a man and slaps him as he asks to slap him harder which he does until he bleeds as Jodowsky says his dads love doesn’t matter.
The disabled are rounded up and taken away by the police to the rubbish dump that looks like a concentration camp. He is then taken to the dentist where his dad says to be a man, he must not feel pain and be worthy of his love as he is treated without anastatic. This is t idea that will power tumps over pain as he puts a cigarette out on his hand without flinching as he struggles though the pain without aesthetic which he does as his dad sates that willpower trumps over eventing. His dad gets him an ice cream and tells him to go and look at the sea as there is a weird mystic looking guy that looks like one of the gunmen from El Topo. The man tries to scare him but can’t as they form a friendship as she teaches him how to meditate gate in the intellect, heart, and sex, as well as the parasamgate is even deeper that crates happiness as they go off finding happiness. The cable cars in the town are said to have been there for thousands of years transporting gold and they don’t mow were they come from or where they are going like treasures. The cars are like bodies carrying their souls that are like treasurers and a personal god. He gives Alejandro the gift of religious symbols being the Jewish star of David, the Islam moon and star and the Christian cross. This is all melted down into a single object and wear the necklace to reminds himself that one God unties all of them. His dad runs a woman’s lingerie store where he engages in his secret perverted desires by licking the stockings on the foot display, as his mum gets high and fans herself like a Victorian prostitute as the dad sniffs underwear as his dad is dominant and in control wanting sex and lust. The film is a clash between realism and poetry as his dad slaps him for having medals wanting to display his dreams flushing them down the toilet saying God does not exist.
Jodorowsky has a fractured mind regarding which path to go down as he is forced between realism and spirituality and decides to choose his dad. His dad would go to brothels showing the other side of his life. He would also attend secret communist meetings in a brothel as everyone there is stupid highlighting the danger of being sucked into an ideology. However, to achieve this he must be with people he hates like homosexuals to form actions. Everyone just engages in mindless debates as they all must go into hiding destroying documents as they are drinking and celebrate. His dad decides to indoctrinate his son into his communist group like a little Hitler youth uniform as he moulds him into himself, as they mourn their mascot of a dog making him the mascot, the dog he doesn’t want. He refuses to put the uniform unless he gets the red shoes of the dummy in the window which his dad does not accept at first, but eventuality agrees to. He is happy to be in the shoes as he finally has colour to his life grey life as show with him dancing around town. He then gives his shoes to a shoeshine who is sad that that he could never have shoes like that as he dances around town, as he decides to ogive the shoes to the Berger as he dances around town. His dad is very strict and gets him to look for him as he sleeps out at night and finds him dead. He slipped with his shoes into the sea and becomes mattered as a seaside icon as kids go to mourn him. This shows the needless cycle of suffering and relief is shown as the teacher says they can go and play to which the kids celebrate. Alejandro is an outcast; he is called Pinocchio because he is a Jew as they all go and masturbate together but he is ostracised when he does it because he’s a Jew and has a circumcised penis.
Being desperate he attempts suicide however the older version of Jodorowsky stipes him as his subconscious helping him on his journey. He says his not alone he says he has much to live for and he should embrace his suffering and reach himself being a different person stating people constantly change until the end of his life and that he must embrace the illusion. He decides that he will try and please his father and puts on his unform and goes and helps the others as the fight the fire. Alejandro tries to fight off the scavenges but fails as he looks for complements from his dad but finds none as his forced to face the brutality reality of life young. They hold a funeral for one of their fallen comrades were the star on bis unform crawls up over his mouth suffocating him, causing him to faint as the darkness suffocates him as he sees people dressed in black with skull heads symbolic of death. He is then in the coffin of the dead firefighter covered in worms and maggots like a zombie turning towards him. This links to a fear of death sating God does not exist as he freaks out and is dad is mad.
He’s dad scolds him for being a coward and now he’s a laughingstock linking to Jew hate as he makes him look at the dreams, he destroyed which he hates. The film then shows plague victims dressed in black come to the pretendent for help as everyone runs away in the town as the dead are transported out in the digger. The plague victims are all rounded up under the promise of water as they are threatened with execution. His dad wishes to prove his masculinity as he delivers water to the large victims who end up killing and eating his donkey as he himself is infected income cruel ironic twist of fate. His dad if infected with plague as they all must die by the hands of the government officials as their shop is an infected area. To save them the mother urines on him like a jellyfish sting. This shows a love of a woman is needed to overcome anything. This also demonstrates his hidden sexual desires as she is nothing but a vessel for the lord and will do anything to save him like breaking her water like the flood of Noah’s ark as he is cradled like a baby. Jamie is wracked with guilt for the people he saved as the mum sys he must be stronger like God who exists in his heart but only Sarah is in Jamie’s heart showing they love each other. His dad then wants to go and kill the fascist dictator of his country Santiago. The film takes the piss out of communism as one guy finds his location and the other scold him be being individualist as he finds his weakness in horses. Jamie goes off to kill him passionately kissing his wife goodbye but saying nothing to his son as she sings about how much she love him as she cuts her hair to look different. Jamie is Confronted by another man looking to kill Ibanez and is discriminated against because he is old and a Jew whist the other guy just wants fame. However, the other guy has a gun that was his fathers who was a journalist who criticised Ibanez who was then arrested and killed as he understands he wants to avenge his father and they work together. They the sneak into a dog competition of rich and powerful where the prize are golden bones which is a criticism of one percent right wing governments. The other assassin runs up to Ibanez and attempts to take his shot, but the gun fails, and Jamie jumps in front of them to pass himself off as a hero to get close to Ibanez. He asks to look after his horse as payment for his heroism to get close to Ibanez. He then gets trained on how to look after horses. He looks after the horse with the main sable hand from a connection as he wants one due to his rough childhood as he starts to enjoy it.
The stable master takes his leave literally and symbolically dying as Jamie is the master now. They switch clothes to show this as he gave up his soul as he wants to return home to the earth as no neo will notice him as the rich don’t care about such things. Ibanez loves his horses and is human as he offers Jamie money that he refuses saying he loves horses and it’s a labour of love as Ibanez helps him with supplies. Jamie says Ibanez crimes are not the result of someone with a wicked soul, but he wants to force the thoughts out of his head as he sees him as a father figure as he tries to convince himself his evil. Ibanez sates the flowers are a deadly poison to the horse, so Jamie lets the horse eat them for his plot against Ibanez allowing him to kill him. The horse ends up dying as Ibanez is beside himself comforting the horse. Jamie tries to shoot Ibanez, but he can’t, Ibanez the takes the gun and kills the horse as they both weep and embrace as he finally pays him as Jamie goes home in a paralysed sate having accomplished nothing. Sara taches Alejandro not to be afraid after he has a nightmare as he fears the void the nothingness the darkness that swallows him up. His mum states that her love is mealy a vessel of god’s love who is eternal as people radiate his love and therefore the darkness loves him as much as she does as the darkness is god’s shadow. She covers him with black boots polish, so he blends in with the darkness becoming part of it he is the same as the darkness. They then play as he is the creature of the darkness devouring the princess as she runs and hides as he finds her and cover her with paint.
Jodorowsky states her mother solved into the darkness and that he was never afraid of the dark again, as later Carlos’s twin Lucio runs into Alejandro ad tells him to go away and he killed him. The soldiers are served by a weird cross dresser serving them drinks in a perverse sexual way showing the longing for confront and companionship. Alejandro tries to connect with Lucio who shuts him down as he is found out as having a family with some money and he also doesn’t like him as his Jewish as Lucio hits him bloody. His mum says to survive he must be unseen, and she is going to remove the barriers of his mind, she exoticizes his inner Pinocchio his Jewish inner self and is now inviable and empty vessel. She shows that to remove this you become invisible as she walks around in the bar naked as they are like the air. Alejandro’s dad however cannot be invisible as he is not spiritual, Alejandro fears his death, but she tells him he is not and if he was er heart would know. The spirit guy gives them balloons and from this they send him a message spiritually saying not to forget them and to come home, as the stone drops on the shack the dad is sleeping in. He finds himself painted with the colours of the Chilean flag, showing how through knowing and living through people you take on bit of their ideology. You can admire people even though you hate them as he has become a sort of symbol for Ibanez. He is the chased by dogs as he is an outlaw in his own country.
A woman comes up to him treating him like one of her dogs, as when he yells at her she breaks down crying as his memory a returned as his dream is over as she brought him there half staved. He is ultimately a symbol of their pain and they had sex knowing it would last as with his recovery her life is over. She leaves him with a note detailing this as she commits suicide, and he is branded a murderer and forced to leave town. He then finds no help from a priest and is attacked by children. He hen goes to a carved wood painter who is a metaphor for Christ who has forgotten who he is and is punished. Jamie becomes a Christ like figure look for God as he has the paint washed off him like a baptism and quotes the bible. He ultimately finds forgiveness a becomes a carpenter like Christ as he makes a dozen chairs and excepts money for it.
These chairs are delivered to a church as they celebrate God as they dance with chairs, again showing him to be a metaphorical Jesus character, and a spiritual person. His mentor dies as they say he had a peaceful death, as they climb onto the chairs symbolically praising god. They then make people give out money, as Jamie puts his money in the pot as he is a Christ like figure. Jamie is a holy fool as the fil showcases the dangers of falling into an ideology like communism or fascism. The Nazis have now come along during this time in the film as Jamie tries to get into this ideology but due to his hands, he can’t salute properly and gets beaten up by the Nazis and he also beats them. He states blessed be Don Jose who is a god like character in the film. he is then beaten and captured by the Nazis as he is touted via electrocution, hanging, drowning, and having his testicles burnt. They hold him at gun point and almost kill him as they ask him who Done Jose is. Vomiting blood, he is at the point of death as a revolutionary finds him saying Ibanez fled before they could kill him and as he resisted torture, he is a hero as the take him back to his family.
Alejandro doesn’t want his dad to come back as at heart he believes he doesn’t love him, however, is mum says listen to her heart and it says dad is on his way and he loves them, linking it the idea that love conquers all. This is shown as Jamie listens to is heart and hears his wife. Jamie returns home broken as he sacrificed everything he is not disserving of love; Alejandro breaks down saying he is as Jamie embraces his son with love and faints. He is then cradled like a baby by his wives as she cares for him as much as her child and she loves him he is part of her soul. Sara states that Jamie can cure himself witch he found Ibanez all her admired in Stalin as all three of them are the same, as Jamie breaks down as he has lived admiring a tyrant. Jamie breaks down and cries showing his emotions like a man, and they love him for it. Jamie takes Sara’s gun regaining the grip on his hands and shoots the picture of himself setting all three ablaze killing his old self. They then leave the town on a boat for a new life as they sail off being ferried by a skeleton, as they are symbolically going to the island of the dead, they are dammed souls. The film ends with the young Alejandro walking amongst the cardboard cut-out of the characters in the film wearing the firefighter unfirm. He is leaving his past behind him as Jodorowsky narrates about the pain of the present relates to the pain of childhood and that the trick is to become a shapeless entity to be able to form into something new and better.
The Dance of Reality is about letting go from the suffering of the past, about moving forward and crating something new and better.